Friday, 29 August 2014

My first game in the escalation campaign and its against the combined
forces of the Mechanicum (using an alliance of inquisition and knights to proxy
it). As the game is only 600 points, we use a 4x4 city fight table, with purge
the alien mission. Wish me luck.

Before I go into the Battle report, first here is some Background information provided by my friend Valerius.

Operation
Lancea: The Invasion of the Stygian Sector.

“By the Emperor, this is one
almighty cluster-frag. We’ve got out-of-their-fraggin-mind allies who have
can’t tell friend from foe packing enough firepower to blow half an Astartes
company into the Eye. We’re facing a horde of fantatics who don’t much care
whose blood their mad daemon gods get as long as there’s oceans of the stuff
and in the middle of it all those damn Tau and their cannibal buddies with
shots so accurate they may have fraggin’ well had them couriered to our boys.
So much for ‘one quick drop,’ this will be the last fragger standing takes all.
For Elysia and the Emperor, CHARGE!”

Sgt
Fortis, Elysian Drop Troops

The closing years of M.40 saw the
millennia-long series of skirmishes and terror raids between the renegade
worlds of the Stygian Sector and the Knights of House Tepes explode into
all-out warfare with consequences far beyond their benighted cluster of planets.
The cluster of worlds around Styges in the depths of the Maelstrom had been
settled by fleeing Imperial Army regiments at the time of the Scouring. Having
declared for the traitor Warmaster at the start of the Heresy, these regiments
had been able to carve out an enclave far from the reach of Imperial justice,
and had used these as a base from which to raid and pillage in the name of
their dark patron ever since.

With the growing threats from Tau expansionism
and the Red Harvest of the rapidly awakening Sehkenmat Empire drawing in and
eradicating Imperial forces at a staggering rate, forces to shore up the
battered Maelstrom frontiers were depleted to critical levels. The Knights of
House Tepes and their Mechanicus allies from the Forgeworld of Ixion fought
with grim determination to oppose the fierce war clans of the Stygian sector,
but the renegade coalition outnumbered them many times over, and attacked
across the width of the front, ensuring success wherever the vast fighting
machines of the Mechanicum were not deployed in time. The more the region was
bled dry of troops and materiel, the more vulnerable the nearby worlds were to
slave-raids from renegade sector. Finally,
word reached the Arch-Count Valerius of Carpathia, Knight-Seneschal of the Tepes
bloodline of a threat that could cause immeasurably more damage than a few
thousand stolen workers, and see the border worlds overrun in a tide of
slaughter that even their Knights could not stand against. Deep within the Stygian Sector was the Dark
Mechanicum Forge of Ferrograd. Safe from the judgement of the Omnissiah’s
faithful servants, the Hereteks supplied the renegade armies with vast
quantities of weapons, armour and tanks, in exchange for vast ranks of slaves
for their forges and experiments. Far from the usual mobs of fanatics that
serve the arch-enemy, their troops every bit the equal of their Imperial
adversaries with unprecedented access to heavy weapons and armoured units. Although
Ferrograd was seen as an affront to the Mechanicum, and one they would dearly
have loved to delete once and for all, the cost of such an endeavour was deemed
an inefficient use of machinery and the incessant raids they outfitted were
tolerated with clenched teeth, while the hell-forges of the Dark Mechanicum
ceaselessly churned out arms and armour for the arch-enemy. Until, that is, the
Dark Magi of Ferrograd uncovered a long-lost STC amid the daemon-haunted wastes
of their world. A relic from mankind’s golden age, this STC would allow for the
mass production of the Baneblade chassis and its myriad variants with the same
ease they currently churned out the Chimera. For the first time in 10,000 years
the servants of the Omnissiah would find themselves badly out gunned. A council of war was quickly convened with the
Arch-Magos of Ixion and Count Valerius of House Tepes reaching the conclusion
that action was needed before these super-heavies could begin to roll off the
production lines and into their domains. Dozens of Knights were supported by
Titans of Legio Taurus with their Mechanicum Auxilia and flung through the warp
to confront the renegades and hereteks of the Stygian sector. Their mission was
to drive a blade through the heart of the Dark Mechanicum of Ferrograd and
sever the supply lines to the arch-enemy once and for all with an all out
assault.On translation back into realspace, the
Knights and their allies discovered all was not going to go to plan...This is the report of the mechanicusm first assault

As its only a 4x4 table we just used dawn of war deployment as it
would just be the easiest for the game. Rolling for mission we get purge the
alien, damn, i was hoping for an objective game.

Rolling for deployment and the mechanicum win electing to deploy and
go first. Its very quick as the Magos joins the henchmen unit on the far right
in cover and the knight deploys on the left.

To stand a chance against this i deploy the lascannon team in the
middle with line of sight to the knight. On the left i deploy a unit of
infantry with the autocannon having a good line of sight across the table. In
the middle the chimera with veterans inside hides behind a ruin so hopefully
the knight can’t see it, and using it as cover, the company command deploy
behind it. The platoon command deploy to the right of the chimera while the
last infantry squad goes on the far right ready to take the building in front
of them.

Night Fight: No

Steal the initiative: No

The Battle

Mechanicum turn 1

Crushing through the city the knight pushes forwards towards the heavy
weapon team. On the right the squad moves forwards though the ruins to see the
guard force.

Psychic phase and the Magos activate the shields giving the squad a 4+
invulnerable save. He attempts to activate his auto-targeting but fails to
active it.

Shooting phase and the servitors open fire on the platoon command and
even though they are snap shooting; they still manage to kill 1 of the squad.
The knight fires its meta cannon at the heavy weapon team, locking on and
burning up one of the team. The stubber barks after the cannon but it fails to
do any damage. Taking a moral test the heavy weapon team stays in the fight.

Mechanicum: 0 - Renegades: 0

Renegades turn 1

Engines pushing the tank as far as it can go, the chimera smashes
though the ruins towards the knight. On the right the infantry climb to the top
of the building, gaining a commanding view of the battle field. Both command
squads follow the chimera.

Shouting orders to the heavy weapon teams, the company command’s
orders get lost over the vox with a double 6 and the network temporarily goes
down. Not needing an order to know what to shoot, the lascannons target the
knight but despite the target being bigger than a building, the gunners still
miss. Both autocannons strake the knight but the shots just bounce off its
armour. As the knight is close, the chimera blows its smoke, hopefully
protecting it from the oncoming storm.

Mechanicum: 0 – Renegades: 0

Mechanicum turn 2

Knowing its biggest threat was near, the knight moves towards the
chimera. The magos again moves though the ruins.

Again the magos actives shields.

The servitors again shoot this time at the infantry squad on the
right, but all the shots miss. A loud roar and the melta cannon hits the
chimera and melts the heavy bolter in place effectively destroying it but
leaving the rest of the chimera relatively unharmed (if not a little charred).

Charging forwards, the knight assaults the chimera, its hammer of
wrath attack crushing its tracks allowing it to swing its D weapon, penetrating
its armour 3 times but it fails to explode it.
Their transport in ruins the veterans bail out and pass their pinning
test, ready to exact revenge.

Mechanicum: 2 – Renegades: 0

Renegades turn 2

Moving though the wreck the melta guns of the veterans get passed to
the front, making sure they are in malta range of the knight. On the right
again the guard move forwards, getting the plasma gun in range of the knight.
On the left the same happens, with the plasma gunner jumping down the ruins
into the door way, to see the knight. Unable to see anything, the heavy weapons
team moves though the ruins to see the knight.

Ordering the veterans to take down the knight, the order gets though
clearly. All melta guns hit, and 2 get though the knights ion shield. Both
shots penetrate the armour, and 1 even explodes something inside the knight,
reducing it by 3 hull points. With the knight still standing, the commander
tells the guard on the right to take it down! By some miracle the autocannon
hits with both shots, and gets a double 6! Two glancing hits and both blow
though the ion shield. The other autocannon has a go with the plasma gun aiding
it but all shots fail to get past its armour. My last shot at taking out the
knight, the snap shooting lascannons. 1 actually hits, and penetrates the
super-heavies armour, the ion shield again fails and the knight staggers
backwards before exploding. In the maelstrom of fire, 3 veterans die, a fair
trade I would say.

Mechanicum: 2 – Renegades: 1

Mechanicum turn 3

With only a single unit left, the Magos and bodyguard moves back.

Auto-targetting works this turn allowing the servitors a re-roll to
hit.

Even though they can only snap shot, with the re-roll most of the
shots hit and kill the platoon command

Mechanicum: 3 – Renegades: 1

Renegades turn 3

With only a single target left, the army converges towards the Magos
and bodyguard. The infantry on the left start moving out of their ruin as it
can’t see anything. The veterans take cover and the command squad joins them.

All the shots from the army hit the squad hunkered up in the ruin, but
only a single servitor dies.

Mechanicum: 3 – Renegades: 1

Mechanicum turn 4

The vets run

The Magos moves back while staying in coherency with his squad, the
rest of the unit holds its ground.

He gets off his auto-tergetting this turn.

The two servitors open fire on the veterans who go to ground, but 2
die from the punishment and the rest of the veterans run for it.

Mechanicum: 3 – Renegades: 1

Renegades turn 4

Attempting to rally, the veterans have no loyalty to the cause and
keep on running. The rest of the force carries on its pressure on the Magos and
the infantry on the right starts moving down the building.

All the shots from the army kill a single servitor and an acolyte.

Mechanicum: 3 – Renegades: 1

Mechanicum turn 5

No movement, but the magos gets both the shields up and the targetters.

Not having moved, the Magos aims his conversion beamer at the command
squad who have wondered into his line of sight. The blast isn’t very strong,
and two of the squad die. The heavy bolter then fires at them and kills the
last 2 guard and wounds the commander himself.

Mechanicum: 3 – Renegades: 1

Renegade turn 5

The guard and heavy weapons team can’t get to the commander fast
enough, and he is left on hsi own so moves back.

Again shooting is less than impressive as only a single acolyte.

Mechanicum: 3 – Renegades: 1

We roll to see if the game carries on...

Mechanicum turn 6

Again the Magos increases his accuracy and fires his conversion beamer
at the company command killing him.

Mechanicum: 5 – Renegades: 1

Renegades turn 6

Again i only kill 1 member of the magos’s unit but this time its
enough to make the Magos thing twice about sticking around, he runs for it.

We roll to see if the game carries on and it ends.

Technically as at the end of the game the Mechanicum forces are either
destroyed or fleeing, that counts as a tabling? So even though the Mechanicum
has more points then the renegades...

Renegade Victory?

Post-Battle

With the Mechanicum's assault blunted, the renegades show their strength in the system.

That was a very odd game, i expected the knight to be the real problem
and the Magos and friends to just fold. How wrong i was, while i know i got
very lucky with getting so much damage on the knight it did fall quite nicely.

As this was my first real game with the imperial guard my tactics were
terrible, i should have had both infantry squads supporting each other, instead
of on opposite sides of the table. Orders, i forgot about after turn 2, as i
could have got the veterans back in the fight other than just running off the
table.

The imperial warlord traits are interesting but very limited, i can’t
help but feel the command traits might be better suited for the commander, as
they synergise quite nicely with his order range.

4 comments:

I would disagree with the warlord traits being limited. Two of them give greater flexibility to your orders, one effectively makes you fearless. Outflanking units is always useful, and being able to outflank up to three can cause real problems for your opponent. Relentless is quite situational, but useful if you have an Master of Ordinance or heavy weapons teams. Preferred enemy is also situational, but good if you run plasma.

The main thing with guard is to remember your orders, you'll be surprised how much of a difference they can make!

I actually lol'd when I saw a knight at 600 points but then I saw your lascannons and meltavets and figured that this would be a do or die type battle...and it was. If you'd failed to kill that knight for even one more turn you'd have been done but you pushed though and committed.